Clay Soil and Compost Spreaders

[ClayFoot]

Last year we built a new home in a North Texas lakeside community with a high level of clay soil. Apparently this isn't ideal for growing a thick, lush lawn as pretty much the entire neighborhood looks the same: weak, patchy, anemic bermuda grass. The lawn looked great when it was installed, a hybrid bermuda sod, but regardless of how much I water and fertilize it is starting to look like the rest of the neighborhood. I wish now I had thought of asking for a high quality topsoil before building but like they say, hindsight is 20/20. Anyway, I have top-dressed with a mix of rich topsoil and compost and the yard is perking up but not anything to brag about yet. Is this the best treatment for thick clay soil? Open to suggestions here. Also, has anyone actually used the metal drum style push compost spreaders with thick moist compost? Do they work or is there a better idea for small to medium sized yards?

[Kiril]

Compost will be the quickest route to building a better soil.
Tilling in a generous amount of compost to a minimum depth of 8" would be best.
Second best would be a yearly core aeration and compost top dress of 1/4" - 1/2".

You should get the soil tested, and make sure the test includes OM%, SAR/ESP (SAR/ESP are sometimes combined into a single test)

[ClayFoot]

Good advice, thanks! Now I just need to find an inexpensive compost spreader that actually works...

[phasthound]

Good advice, thanks! Now I just need to find an inexpensive compost spreader that actually works...

Wheel barrow, shovel & rake. :)

[ClayFoot]

Haha... yeah, I did that already... once... that was enough. Now, I'm not saying I'm completely opposed to good old fashioned manual labor... I just appreciate it more when someone else is doing it. :laugh:

[pt03]

Discussion (http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?t=284368) about manual top dressers.

Lloyd:canadaflag:

[Smallaxe]

The biggest problem with clay is - no soil structure that includes - air.

What to do about that?

[Marcos]

The biggest problem with clay is - no soil structure that includes - air.

What to do about that?

Sports field guys address wet heavy clay areas with stuff like glorified kitty litter, which is actually high-end calcite clay (trade names: Turface, Pro's Choice, etc).
It's not the cheapest solution in the world, but deep tine aerification & a relatively heavy topdressing with course calcite clay should help to create a better vertical drainage pattern & potentially aerify the turf with oxygen in general.

Even better than that would be all of the above + topdress with a decent layer of compost to top it all off.
Compost acts sort of as a wick to help water effectively move up or down and not 'sheetwash' during heavy storms as much, at least until it fully decomposes, that is.
So, wicking the water up can help in overall atmospheric evaporation rate, and wicking the water down further moves accumulated water deeper out of a certain depth that's historically troubling to the turf's root zone.

[Smallaxe]

Wouldn't calcite clay brake down eventually as well?

[Kiril]

Can someone please define a "calcite clay".

Also, Turface and Pros Choice is made from Montmorillonite (http://webmineral.com/data/Montmorillonite.shtml) clay

[starry night]

Can someone please define a "calcite clay".

Also, Turface and Pros Choice is made from Montmorillonite (http://webmineral.com/data/Montmorillonite.shtml) clay

I think it's "calcined clay" which is the result of high heat?

I always thought that Turface was just plain ol' calcined clay.
Montmorillonite, huh. Learn something everyday.

[Kiril]

I think it's "calcined clay" which is the result of high heat?

I always thought that Turface was just plain ol' calcined clay.
Montmorillonite, huh. Learn something everyday.

Ahhhh, I see someone did their homework. :)

Calcination is a heat treatment process. Both Turface and Pros Choice are made with Montmorillonite clay which has gone through the calcination process. It doesn't have anything to do with calcite.

[starry night]

Nah. I'm not good with science but I know words. Was an English / journalism major in college and love etymology. (In the landscaping business, I dabble in entomology, as well.) With words, it's a delight to me to follow their history. In English, much of time, especially in science, the words started in Greek or Latin. Calcine can be traced back to the Latin word "calx" (lime) which probably was derived from the Greek "chalix" meaning pebble. There's your etymology lesson for today. Thank you for listening.

[JDUtah]

Nah. I'm not good with science but I know words. Was an English / journalism major in college and love etymology. (In the landscaping business, I dabble in entomology, as well.) With words, it's a delight to me to follow their history. In English, much of time, especially in science, the words started in Greek or Latin. Calcine can be traced back to the Latin word "calx" (lime) which probably was derived from the Greek "chalix" meaning pebble. There's your etymology lesson for today. Thank you for listening.

Cool hobby that lets you appreciate a lot more in the world than most those around you. :)

[Smallaxe]

So why are heated chunks of clay any better than crystaline silicone?

[Kiril]

You mean crystalline silicon .... and are we talking about solar cells and computer chips or soil amendments?

[Marcos]

Wouldn't calcite clay brake down eventually as well?

Whatever material that is left AT surface level would be subject to foot traffic, blowing, sunlight, which would certainly cause degradation.
However, from data compiled by OSU at their OTF field trails using Profile's MVP (largest grain calcite clay available) show that freeze/thaw & microbial intervention doesn't significantly affect the integrity so long as it's interspersed evenly with the clay soil medium.

But bear in mind these OSU plots are meticulously tilled & cared for by OSU co-op students.
Is this same EXACT scenario likely to happen with just a deep tine aerator & a spreader?
No.
To replicate these results completely, the clay area in question would obviously need to be renovated using MVP or its equivalent.

[Ron D.]

Clayfoot, I am also in N. Tx (Collin County) and have the same soil you are describing. I significantly improved my soil and the appearance of my yard this spring by doing what Kiril recommends. I core areated and topdressed with between 1 to 2 inches of compost and then re-aerated to help mix the compost into the soil. I found what I believe to be a very reasonable source for premium compost. Call Tony at 972-843-7102. $175 for 7 cu yds delivered. He has a smaller truck and can get into tighter spaces if you wanted him to spot dump.

I have been using Milorganite (organic fert) that I have only found at the Garland, Tx Lowes. Plan to aerate, overseed and re-topdress this fall (need to get it going since yesterday was first day of fall).

Good luck.